"More Dead Than The Other Episodes, But Worth Playing"

I've got a slight problem with The Walking Dead: The Game -- Episode 4: Around Every Corner. The first 90 minutes of the episode is full of tedious, meaningless tasks. Only the last half hour of the episode actually presents challenging choices and gripping plot details. Even then, those plot details only serve as a hook for the season finale, as most of the questions opened up in previous episodes still go unanswered. This is quite unfortunate because apart from a few hard choices, there is no plot progression. At the end of episode four, the player is in a nearly identical place as in episode three.

Fortunately, even though the story in Around Every Corner isn't that good, the character development is. There are some truly touching conversations between Lee and Clementine. In all honesty, some of the hardest decisions in the episode were deciding how to respond to one of Clementine's questions. Not only do existing characters get more fleshed out, but there are some completely badass characters introduced in the episode as well. These characters are probably some of the best in the series so far. This is great, considering the episode is lacking in story.

Telltale also deserves a commendation for the new setting it has created. Crawford is a wonderfully freaky place. The setting has just as much development as a character. Quite a lot of thought was put into it, and it shows. I honestly hope every time Telltale brings us a new setting it will be this fleshed out.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is tedious and repetitive. Other than a few exciting shooting sequences, most of the gameplay is boring. For most of the game, dialogue and choices don't matter. Only the last part of the episode is valuable to the story.

Unfortunately, with episodic releases it's a lot harder to recommend and not recommend games. Around Every Corner is necessary to play, since it sets up the season finale so perfectly. Unfortunately, I have to warn the player what they are getting themselves into. Episode 4 isn't nearly as good as the previous three episodes. The first 90 minutes won't be that fun to play, and only the last half hour will be redeemable. Although this episode isn't as good as the others, it is necessary for the season finale. Therefore, I recommend playing the game, but it might not be as enjoyable as the other episodes.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10 | Originally Posted: 10/23/12

Game Release: The Walking Dead: Episode 4 - Around Every Corner (US, 10/10/12)

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